The Queen and her Wolf

Chapter Three

        Shutting my chamber door with a soft click, I leaned my back against its carved surface. Pure exhaustion washed over me as I allowed my body to succumb to its instinct to sleep. I had fought it for this long only so I could alleviate some of Alana's fears and answer her questions. After the ordeal she had faced getting here I thought it was the least I could do for her.

        I still couldn't grasp why I was so concerned about her. It's not like I'm heartless, but never did I allow myself to get emotionally involved in, well ... anything. Keeping an emotional distance allowed me to remain logical and cool headed in any situation. Problem solving was simple because I could be objective and being objective allowed me to see all angles and possible outcomes. Nothing really surprised me anymore.

        Except Alana.

        The second I heard her voice in the throne room, I felt something. There had been such ferocity and strength in her words that I almost believed she wasn't afraid. The she-wolf had a fire within her and like a moth to a flame, I was captivated.

        I closed my eyes, remembering the sound of my name on her lips ...

        Her anxiety had been thick in the air but Alana was a survivor as far as I could tell. She had agreed to be my bonded guardian because she knew it was her best chance at staying alive. I had to admit though that part of me thought she would refuse and choose death instead. I was glad she had not.

        Alana's composure had begun to unravel somewhat after she'd pledged herself to me, so for both our sake's I had shown her to her own chamber. It was directly next door to my own so that should I be in danger, I rolled my eyes at the thought, Alana would be close enough to defend me.

        Crossing the room to stand in front of the fireplace I smiled at how Alana had marvelled at the décor of her own room. Where I had dark, elegant and plush, Alana’s room was light, precious and simple. A midnight blue and cream colour scheme filled her room, supposedly mimicking the night and the soft light of the moon. Whether the room accomplished this was irrelevant but Alana had genuinely smiled and I recalled how it gently touched her eyes. Honestly I think she was just pleased that it didn't look like the lair of a vampire.

        There was a light knock on my door and I turned in surprise.

        "Who is it?"

        "Samuel." Came the short reply.

        "Come in." I sighed.

        The door swept open just wide enough to allow my advisor through before he closed it softly behind himself. Clearly he was still in royal advisor mode, his robes were still draped over his slender shoulders and his face was ever serious. Samuel bowed low in respect, the material of his robes rustling pompously, and levelled his blood-red gaze with my own.

        "I take it your wolf has retired for the evening?"

        "She has."

        "Very good." He wrinkled his nose like her scent offended him. "Did she agree to the terms?"

        "She agreed to become my bonded guardian." I said ambiguously. 

        "And what of the treaty with her pack?"

        "That may be somewhat of an issue."

        "What do you mean?" He took an anxious step forward.

        I recalled the fast pace of Alana's heart whenever her pack was brought up. She'd lied to me in the throne room when she'd said she was a part of the Dark Ridge pack. I had let it slide because the reason for her lie still eluded me. It didn't matter if she was a lone wolf because we would simply form a treaty with her old pack by default. Even if they'd kicked Alana out of their ranks I highly doubted they would refuse the safety of the palace just to keep their distance from her. So why was Alana so worried? To Samuel I simply said-